Athletes work to increase speed, agility, quickness and power at Ironside Athletics.
Wochit

Buy Photo

Berthoud High School sophomore wrestler Brock Leypoldt, left, does agility work on the ladder while other athletes push The Flipper Thursday during a class at Ironside Athletics.(Photo: Timothy Hurst/The Coloradoan, Timothy Hurst/The Coloradoan)Buy Photo

For 15 years he worked in the police force, the last 12 in Fort Collins.

In his quest to be fit for the line of duty, he worked out with a friend named Kevin Abelbeck, who had created a new fitness machine called The Flipper.

With The Flipper, they went through high-intensity workouts that increased speed, agility and power.

A little more than a year ago, Golden wanted a break from police work and thought back to those workouts.

So he bought space and started a gym designed specifically for athletic training.

“I really got to see how this functional training is beneficial to athletes, to cops, to pretty much anybody. It’s very applicable to athletes,” Golden said. “We saw the need for Northern Colorado, so we gave it a shot.”

Ironside Athletics, 1538 E. Harmony Road, is now nearly a year old after opening in August of 2016. The space in the same shopping center as Safeway has a turf area and weight machines.

High school athletes from Wellington to Berthoud come to Ironside to work out in small groups. Athletes have included wrestlers, football and lacrosse players, martial arts competitors and others. Ironside’s athletic-centric training focus is unique in Fort Collins and one of a small number of similar athletic gyms in Northern Colorado.

There are also classes for elementary and middle school students, with age-appropriate workouts. Ironside also offers adult workouts.

The 90-minute workout starts with a warm-up with foam rolling and mobility work.

It then transitions to work on some combination of speed, agility, quickness and power, depending on the day. Athletes push The Flipper like a wheelbarrow or sled, flip it over and turn around and do it again before running foot-quickness drills. There are sprints then weight lifting finishes the exhausting workout.

“It’s really helped me in the wrestling room. Everything I’m doing is faster and more powerful,” said Mac Graves, a senior at Rocky Mountain High School. “All my lifts I’ve almost doubled now. I’ve gotten way faster. It’s a whole body workout every time you come.”

The athletes form a camaraderie, workout friends despite often coming from rival schools.

Being a high school athlete has turned into a year-long endeavor for many and summer is the chance for athletes to make big gains in the weight room.

Once sport seasons begin, the amount of workouts will drop, but Golden hopes they continue to help athletes continue to grow.

“One thing we’re really trying to push is that this training isn’t preseason or postseason, it’s year-round,” Golden said. “The frequency should be less in season. Continue to make gains and get faster and stronger.”

Golden and his wife have four kids, the oldest is a wrestler at Poudre, but he’ll be a fan of many teams once the season starts as he watches Ironside athletes compete in their sports.

“I’m excited for next season to see how these athletes are performing,” Golden said.

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle.

Buy Photo

Berthoud High School sophomore wrestler Brock Leypoldt, right, pushes over The Flipper to his exercise partner, Western State Colorado University and Poudre graduate Diego Calderon Thursday during a class at Ironside Athletics.(Photo: Timothy Hurst/The Coloradoan, Timothy Hurst/The Coloradoan)